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Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → bad news for gibson...
I wonder if Gibson is in serious financial trouble? This year at the NAMM show, Gibson had a tiny booth. Fender, ESP and Taylor had huge rooms, and Ibanez and PRS had huge booths while Gibson's was surprisingly small for the company's size.
Better play 10 Les Pauls of the same model to find maybe 2 or 3 that are good - common knowledge folks, shouldn't be that way for a $3-5k guitar - should only require a set up for action by you or your tech.
I have never played a Gibson Les Paul that I thought was a bad guitar. I have played maybe 200-300 over the course of 10 years. Maybe I dont have the uber tone sensitive ear that some of you must possess.
In my opinion the Custom Shop Les Pauls are consistant enough I'd buy one just on looks without playing it. But then again I've never played one I didnt like.
If I recall correctly no one liked the 1958, 1959, and 1960 Les Paul when it originally came out. It was a failure of a guitar.
Funny how things change.
Lol,, for some obvious reason, I somehow saw this coming, haha. Theyve gradually become a worse and worse company, dont get me wrong, they are one of the worlds most successful brands,, but these days? Nahh, to be be perfectly honest, I haven't played a Gibbo worth the ridiculous price that was new,,,,, since I started playing! Haha, I've played many which have been touched up by some good players/tech's I know, but it has to be a vintage Gibson for me nowadays 
Think my next new guitar just may be a strat now, haha.
Rus
Like I said somewhere else here...... I think Gibson has chambered, hollowed, Pleked, and weight relieved there their way out of a clear focus of what they are all about. They just cant sell their guitars at those high prices (comparitively) without the quality.
Their ''rock n roll history'' alone does not seem to be keeping them afloat with today's critical eye and ear player.
Buying a Les Paul use to be a no-brainer...you just gotta have one....and it was of good quality.
Now, the price of a Les Paul, pulls us up by the short hairs and makes us hesitate, second guess, ask around, & comparison shop .....the same goes with the other models. I'd love to get a 335 or 345....but am just floored by the price.
I'm glad I bought my LP back in 89'........and my 79' Epiphone Genesis Deluxe plays just as great, if not more driving solid, than the LP.......the irony now, is that Epiphones are not worth it unless you upgrade the parts.
I too agree that you need to try out as many Les Pauls in one sitting to get the feel for the one to buy.
We still like our traditional woods as well......what ever happen to the ''replenishable'' wood Les Pauls made 10- 15 years ago.......the ones made from African supplied wood with all the wild, but cool, wood grain patterns?? Good Luck buyers! >> DAN
Its not that they were not popular or liked its the fact that Fender made guitars half the weight of a 59' Les Paul and rockabilly was king, NOT humbuckers single coil twang! Nothing twangs better then single coils and Gibson has much noisier single coils then Fender or anybody else did at the time. Clean was the thing. Fast forward 1965 and then you got these british guys getting their les pauls to sound like they are going to explode! It must of been like metal music or something back then. Its all Eric Claptons fault!
t92780 wrote:Better play 10 Les Pauls of the same model to find maybe 2 or 3 that are good - common knowledge folks, shouldn't be that way for a $3-5k guitar - should only require a set up for action by you or your tech.
I have never played a Gibson Les Paul that I thought was a bad guitar. I have played maybe 200-300 over the course of 10 years. Maybe I dont have the uber tone sensitive ear that some of you must possess.
In my opinion the Custom Shop Les Pauls are consistant enough I'd buy one just on looks without playing it. But then again I've never played one I didnt like.
If I recall correctly no one liked the 1958, 1959, and 1960 Les Paul when it originally came out. It was a failure of a guitar.
Funny how things change.
I wonder if Gibson is in serious financial trouble? This year at the NAMM show, Gibson had a tiny booth. Fender, ESP and Taylor had huge rooms, and Ibanez and PRS had huge booths while Gibson's was surprisingly small for the company's size.
Apparently they had a larger one upstairs for dealers only.
And it's also been said that Gibson rarely put in an effort at winter NAMM and do more for the summer.
This was all spoken of on the LPF.
I started out never dreaming of holding anything else but a LP, espically a Strat....time has gone on and I grew up to understand the simple beauty of playing a Strat, that tries to fight back at you when you play them, not like the loosey goosey feel I get these days from a LP, easy to get sloppy on a LP IMHO.
Lol,, for some obvious reason, I somehow saw this coming, haha. Theyve gradually become a worse and worse company, dont get me wrong, they are one of the worlds most successful brands,, but these days? Nahh, to be be perfectly honest, I haven't played a Gibbo worth the ridiculous price that was new,,,,, since I started playing! Haha, I've played many which have been touched up by some good players/tech's I know, but it has to be a vintage Gibson for me nowadays
Rus
"Its not that they were not popular or liked its the fact that Fender made guitars half the weight of a 59' Les Paul and rockabilly was king, NOT humbuckers single coil twang!"
That is exactly why they were NOT liked.
People didnt like the sound.
I have never played a Gibson Les Paul that I thought was a bad guitar. I have played maybe 200-300 over the course of 10 years. Maybe I dont have the uber tone sensitive ear that some of you must possess.
In my opinion the Custom Shop Les Pauls are consistant enough I'd buy one just on looks without playing it. But then again I've never played one I didnt like.
If I recall correctly no one liked the 1958, 1959, and 1960 Les Paul when it originally came out. It was a failure of a guitar.
Funny how things change.
Same here, but I'm so accustom to Les Pauls (maybe you too) that I may not love that particular guitar (could be set up, sound... but I'm also talking not having it set up to my specs and what not), but I'm certainly comfortable on any Gibson LP I touch - it is just a matter if I want to buy it or not 
. I've purchased CS LP's off ebay before without playing them and can't say one bad thing about any of them.
Ben
Vette335 wrote:I wonder if Gibson is in serious financial trouble? This year at the NAMM show, Gibson had a tiny booth. Fender, ESP and Taylor had huge rooms, and Ibanez and PRS had huge booths while Gibson's was surprisingly small for the company's size.
Apparently they had a larger one upstairs for dealers only.
And it's also been said that Gibson rarely put in an effort at winter NAMM and do more for the summer.
This was all spoken of on the LPF.
I went to last year's Summer NAMM, and Gibson didn't even have a little booth. They had no official presence whatsoever.
Jimi_lp wrote:Vette335 wrote:I wonder if Gibson is in serious financial trouble? This year at the NAMM show, Gibson had a tiny booth. Fender, ESP and Taylor had huge rooms, and Ibanez and PRS had huge booths while Gibson's was surprisingly small for the company's size.
Apparently they had a larger one upstairs for dealers only.
And it's also been said that Gibson rarely put in an effort at winter NAMM and do more for the summer.
This was all spoken of on the LPF.I went to last year's Summer NAMM, and Gibson didn't even have a little booth. They had no official presence whatsoever.
Maybe they are struggling then (it certainly looks that way, given the crap they're releasing)
London Guitar Show 07 ( I think), Gibson/Epiphone had a bus, and 3/4 guitars,,,, and a competition to win an Epiphone...
Yeah,, what an effort, lol
R
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